It’s been almost a decade since the last reauthorization of the flagship education law, No Child Left Behind. Work on the Workforce Investment Act has been stalled for eight years, and the Higher Education Act won’t come up until 2013.

And American companies, mobilizing to educate a more globally competitive workforce, are tired of waiting around.

Text Size

Special Section

POLITICO 44

With legislation languishing on Capitol Hill, the business community has turned to the nation’s state houses and school boards, choosing to engage with superintendents instead of senators. Around the country, private-sector leaders are diving into legislation to reform teacher pay and pushing for better math and science education.

“What’s happened now, with the focus on the deficit, many of the levers that had been available to us are really not there anymore,” said Brian Fitzgerald, CEO of the Business-Higher Education Forum. “I wouldn’t say the business community has given up on federal legislation. It’s essential. But they’re not sitting around and waiting.”

Susan Traiman, the Business Roundtable’s director of public policy, put it simply: “There’s nothing to lobby for right now on this issue.” Instead, Roundtable members are focused on helping states boost community college and university completion rates, Traiman said. While public schools are often rewarded for enrollment numbers, companies would rather see incentives for giving out more diplomas.

“There’s tremendous excitement right now about what’s going on at the state level,” she said.

As states like Ohio, Indiana and Florida tackle teacher quality, business has inserted itself into the conversation. For instance, officials from chambers of commerce in Nevada recently testified in favor of a new teacher pay-for-performance bill, saying it would boost accountability and learning in Nevada’s low-ranking public schools.

Change the Equation — a nonprofit network of 110 CEOs pushing widespread literacy in science, technology, engineering and math — recently sent letters to the nation’s governors, calling for higher proficiency standards in math and science so Americans can better compete around the world. Each letter was accompanied by the group’s new report, outlining each state’s test results, weaknesses and achievement gaps between demographic groups.

At the same time, industry leaders like Intel are battling to keep the issue of adopting Common Core standards — a set of K-12 math and language standards shared among states — on the radar of budget-strapped state legislators.

“We’re very much about local funding, local decision making,” said Carlos Contreras, Intel’s U.S. education director.

Last week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce commissioned a report that offers three strategies business leaders can implement to get involved in education reform.

Readers' Comments (5)

Not suprising since Federal government is more interested in Political correctness, Diversity training, Sex education and Womens equality classes rather than Science and Math. Much more important to love a homosexual that to educate our children in core subjects for the future.

The demand for Math, Sscience and Reading will never go away the things that the Federal Government requires are inconsequential for the future of this country

Here in Wisconsin, our education system has the highest high school graduation rate in the country, and we have the second-highest SAT scores.

And what does our Koch Bros. funded Governor do?

He rapes the public school system of a billion dollars, attacks teachers, and gives public money to private religious schools where 'teachers' don't even have to be licensed. He says taking money from the public system will force it 'to do better'. The ACLU just announced it is taking Walker on, and no doubt will win eventually--after the damage has been done.

As well, Gov. Walker has attacked the public university system trying to privatize it (unsuccessfully so far), but the uncertainty is sending highly qualified professors packing.

And then just for giggles, he has turned the torch on Wiscnet, a low-cost Internet service that connects research labs, universities, schools and libraries. The private sector alternative is expected to raise costs by 70% and reduce access.

We were once #1 in the world on education, we have fallen to # 17. You can't fault our children, the blame lays at the door step of our leaders, union's and teachers. Once upon a time out teachers cared more about teaching than the pay check, now the pay check is the number one reason to teach. When we become #1 one again then I can side with our leaders and teachers and then I can agree with their pay checks, until then they have not earned their pay.